Sadly today many of our young think that food comes from a supermarket and not enough know how to prepare and cook it. So here at the Cooking Shop we are planning to show you simple ways to encourage you kids to cook starting with the basics and getting more adventurous as we go! Throwing caution to the rule of “never work with children or animals” we will look at fun jobs which children can safely enjoy in the kitchen. We will leave milking goats till a future episode! Encouraging your children to cook also encourages them to take an interest in selecting what they are going to cook and helps them understand how to fend for themselves in the future...

When cooking with children it is critical to consider the inherent dangers in a kitchen, however there are plenty of tools which are safe if used properly and with supervision there is no reason why your children cannot enjoy cooking with you. To prove this we are going to consider mashed potato ably assisted by Charlie aged 11.

Step 1
Select as many potatoes as your require based on 2 medium sized or 1 large potato per person then wash them in a sink to remove any excess mud or dirt from the skin.

Step 2
Holding the potato in a tea towel to protect your hand from the peeler then drag the peeler over the skin of the potato until you have removed the entire skin leaving the white flesh showing. Rinse the potatoes so they are clean.

Step 3
This step will either require some supervision because we need to use a knife to cut the potatoes into smaller pieces or it may be better to ask an adult to do it if you feel unsure about using a knife. To cut the potato place it on a board, select a kitchen knife with a blade at least twice the length of the potato, then making sure your fingers are not anywhere near where the blade will cut, gently slice the potato in half. Once it is in half, take the two halves and place them flat side down and cut them in half again until you have reduced all the potatoes to smaller segments around 3cm cubed.

Step 4
Give your chopped potatoes a quick rinse in a colander then place them in a large saucepan and fill the pan with water until it is ¾ full. Do not fill it right to the top otherwise it can overspill when it is boiling.

Step 5
Again this one requires either supervision or an adult to help. The pan now has to be put on a hob where the temperature needs to be set to boil the water. Potatoes usually need about 10 to 15 minutes to boil and the supervising adult can check when they are cooked by seeing whether a knife will push through the potato easily. Always remember that the water in the pan is boiling and will burn you if you get close to it. You also need to be aware that boiling water gives of steam which can also burn you.

Step 6
Once the potatoes are cooked ask your adult supervisor to drain the potatoes thoroughly then put them back into the saucepan. You now have cooked potatoes.

Step 7
Add about 20 gm of butter per person, one pinch of salt and a glass of milk to the potatoes then use a potato masher to crush all the potatoes and mix it in with the butter and milk. Your mashed potato should have a thick consistency with no lumps of potato left. Mashing is the best bit, but make sure that you remember that your pan and potatoes are still hot so be careful not to burn yourself.

Step 8
Serve your mash potato into a serving bowl ready to eat. Mash works well with hundreds of dishes including sausages, fish, chicken and red meats. It will also keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Definitely leaving the goat milking to another week!